Life and Nothing More
by PaperSnow
Summary: A collection of TDD oneshots that feature various characters, both known and unknown. Extremely spoiler heavy. Chptr9: It only took the lovebirds a small lifetime to finally make it to the altar.
1. Living for Tomorrow

_"'Ra, if you don't mind me asking… Just what exactly are we going to do now?"_

Golden eyes glanced down to the lavender cat beside her, who returned the gaze with her own violet ones. Out of habit, the woman glanced to her other side, to the blue-haired little girl nestled peacefully within a dark purple sleeping bag and slumbering soundly as a result.

"I'm not quite sure, Omi," the woman replied after a few moments of thought and staring blankly at the dying campfire before her. "By now, I know they've discovered us missing and branded us traitors…"

The Espeon's sigh was almost inaudible before she inquired again, _"And what about Dream?"_

This caused another moment of silence that seemed to drag on for a small eternity. "… I think this is karma striking back at me, Omi, for all my sins thus far... And perhaps trespassing unto Aruseus' territory…"

The cat scoffed at this humorless revelation. _"Suddenly believing in the gods now, Ra?"_

The silver-haired woman half-heartedly glared down at her life-long companion. "Please, Memory. You know me better than that. I say it is karma because I never wanted children." Omi blinked, confused. She was having trouble finding the connection between their situation and her mistress's desire to never become a mother.

"Think about it, my friend," the traitor began. "If we ever get the chance at a normal life… Or rather, if we can live long enough without the Team finding us, I'm doing to have to pass Dream off as my daughter. And she's so young… I can't very well leave her to her own devices. Someone's got to teach her how the world works."

_"And try to subtly correct the mistakes you made in her?"_

Integra didn't answer, her sun-colored eyes hidden behind her circular glasses, the lenses of which nothing more than sheets of white thanks to the glare from the dying fire. "They weren't mistakes, Omi…"

The Eeveelution, though, wasn't buying it. _"Then what was it, Ra? Why teach her yourself if you don't want to make sure something gets done? What do you know that you are not telling me?"_ Again, the woman said nothing, gaze transfixed on nothing until her Pokémon's annoyed hiss brought her head back down from the clouds.

"I'm not quite certain… But I have a hunch as to why she turned out this way…"

The cat was stunned, but only slightly. She was more surprised by what the reason could possibly be, rather than that her mistress had already begun to formulate an answer to their initial problem.

"I think that perhaps… The buffers of one of the foreign DNAs didn't hold up…"

_"Instant integration after she woke up?"_

The scientist shook her head. "No… Before she even became Aware."

Again, Omi sighed, suddenly feeling very tired as a result from hearing this new information. _"So what do you plan to do, 'Ra? Obviously you're going to use that little unplanned mistake, should it prove to be true, but for what?_"

Golden eyes looked down to the psychic feline again, but only for a brief second before turning back to the fire. "Build upon it."

_"'Build upon it'? I… Am not following…"_

"This personality of hers… So sweet and docile. You could really call it a lie. Just separate the DNAs and you'll get what the Boss wanted. But to build upon this gentle nature… To nurture and encourage it and teach her the wisdoms my own mother taught me, but I chose to ignore… Perhaps not only can I give her a chance at a decent life, but I can also ensure that she never fulfills the vile potential she possesses, as well."

_"And… How do you plan to do, that, 'Ra? How can you possibly prevent anyone from getting a hold of her and separating her DNA to force her back to her planned original state?"_ Had her mistress gone slightly insane? Had the stress of betraying and fleeing Team Rocket finally gotten to her and was now causing her to just speak in nonsensical circles? Her ponders were interrupted by another question.

"Omi… Tell me… What happens to a tower when you rip the base in two?"

Such an odd and random question, but… With a sigh, the Espeon entertained her life-long companion. _"All the levels above come crashing down."_ The response she got to this, though, caused everything make a lot more sense.

"Exactly, Omi. Same thing works with DNA and personality…"

The cat turned startled eyes to her mistress. _"You mean…?"_

"Yes, Memory," the silver-haired woman nodded with a sadistically triumphant glint in her eyes. "Should anyone try to separate Dream's DNA, then everything I will have built upon that integration will come crashing down and will render Dream completely and absolutely useless! Nothing more than a pretty doll with no soul."

_"You mean __**ruin**__ her?"_ Omi couldn't exactly be surprised with this fail-safe method of preserving their creation's future integrity. Team Rocket had taught them both to win, by whatever means necessary. But this… This just seemed to go too far. Sure, the cat hadn't had much contact with the cyan-eyed little girl, but already had she grown a tad fond of her. She was just so innocent and bubbly. the cat couldn't help but grow fond of her.

"'Ruin' just sounds so harsh and final, Omi," Integra countered in a dignified whine, interrupting her revelation. "It'll be correctable, but someone would have to teach her all over again. All broken things can be fixed."

_"But they can also never be how they originally were, either,"_ the Espeon countered in a slightly cold tone. But when she saw the remorse on her mistress's face and heard it in her voice, she suddenly regretted that veiled insulted.

"It's better to be broken… Than to be lack a will and a spirit… Nothing more than someone's slave…"


	2. Where the Blue Begins

He wasn't too sure what to think of the place. Yes, the café was quaint and tiny and in the middle of no where (how ever did it manage to stay in business?), but…

"Hey… Cal… Love struck or what?" His friend's tease snapped the light-haired man from his thoughts.

"Over what?" Calix threw back in something of a slightly harsh tone. Ciro immediately backed off.

"Whoa man, don't bite my head off."

Frowning, Calix set his dark green eyes back onto the contents of his cup. "Sorry," he apologized dully. "You… surprised me…" Looking up and now around, the dark-skinned man quickly changed the subject. "I didn't expect a place like this to be all the way out here… Who in the world would do something like that?"

Ciro, the blonde, grinned. "Two very lovely women, that's who," he answered slyly, his grin widening when he saw that this caught Calix's interest. Both men were single. And Ciro, who had been coming to the small café for a few weeks now, was quite certain that the two female owners were as well.

"Alright, let's see… They're usually pretty active, so it's rare to come by _without_ seeing them…" The blonde commented to himself as his own blue eyes scanned the small room for the familiar redhead or her partner, whom he readily considered the greater prize.

"Ah, there!" He pointed to a tall woman waiting on a couple two tiny tables down from them, and Calix twisted to get a look. She wore a white apron over an off-the-shoulder shirt in a soft pink, and a normal pair of blue jeans. But despite her plain attire, it was obviously that she was very pretty. Her dusty red hair was long and luxurious, with thin streaks of bright blue in, and the tanned man was almost certain her eyes were a striking shade of bright red.

"That's Miho," Ciro explained as his friend stared. "If this household were a pack of Houndooms, she'd definitely be the beta female. She's not the mother of the little gray-haired boy, or the two twins you'll see occasionally, but they listen to her nonetheless. Same with the Bagons and Feebases outback, for some reason…"

"Is she single?"

The blonde chuckled at his friend's inquire. "Cal, please. She's hot, but not only would she probably _not_ give us even the time of day, but her partner is way more of a catch."

"Oh?" Calix arched an eyebrow at this statement. Was it even possible for the beautiful redhead to be topped? Ciro nodded with a knowing smile.

"The owner of this place and the alpha female. She's the mother of the children I mentioned, but damn is she hot. And quite kind and sweet, too. Very docile from what I hear…"

The Osakan frowned slightly. "And where is this catch you speak of?"

For a moment, the blonde was silent and unmoving, as this unsure about what to do next. But then he began to survey the room around them for a second time, even leaning back in his chair to get a good look out the front windows.

"There!" He finally announced after a good few seconds, pointing towards the window closest to him, which was about four tables to their left. With a slightly bored look, Calix leaned forward to see who this mystery woman was.

Indeed she was very pretty. Not in the passionate, sexual way like her redheaded companion, but in a more graceful and serene way; a way that was much more attractive to Calix. She was small, but by the looks of her dress and the white apron she wore over it, she was also very slender, her skin an alluring pale shade.

She seemed to be tending to the tiny garden out front that the brunette Osakan managed to catch a glimpse of, her long hair—which was the deep color of the sky on a clear, summer's day—was tied back in a loose Ponyta tail, her long bangs parted and framing her soft face, and those stunning, bright cyan eyes.

Most stunning, however, were the two rather large wings that seemed to be fixed behind her, dwarfing her in comparison. They were a shade of dusty blue—almost in a monochromatic way—and the very longest flight feathers reached down to probably about mid-thigh. Both looked sleek and glossy.

Ciro chuckled once again, this time at the entranced look on his friend's face. "See? I told you she was the better catch."

"Who is she?" He inquired, almost sounding demanding as he kept his eyes on the blue-haired woman.

"That would be Otomé. Like I said, owner of this place, and mother of the winged boy and the two blue-haired twins. And probably sister to Miho." 

"Sister?"

The blonde nodded. "Yeah. Her children call Miho 'Aunt Miho', so I figure the two couples that live here are related somehow…" But Calix only heard one thing.

"Wait… '_Couples_'? They're not single?"

Ciro frowned and looked somewhere else. "_Well_," he began dramatically. "They _say_ that they're married, but I have yet to see either of their husbands. And I've been coming here for a few weeks now. You'd think I'd've caught a glimpse of them once, but nothin'…"

His companion mirrored his frown as he pondered about this for a moment. "… So… Could they be lying? Just saying they're taken to keep guys from hitting on them right and left?"

"Probably," Ciro agreed with a shrug as he took a gulp of his coffee. This, though, only deepened Calix's thoughtful frown. What would possess a woman to lie about being taken to deter suitors? Had love burned her before and now, she wanted nothing more to do with it? That seemed logical. After all, where was her children's father? Perhaps he had ran out on her while she was pregnant? Yes, that was probably it. And it made him all more determined to get to know the woman better. What a lonely life she must lead…

"Earth to Calix. Come in, Calix. Do you read?"

The brunette suddenly realized that his friend was waving a hand in front of his face.

"You suddenly spaced out with a grin on your face. Thinking up a shameless fantasy?" Calix smacked Ciro upside his head, trying to fight back a guilty blush.

"Yeah. Caught red-handed," the blonde teased.


	3. Betrayal of Benefactors

Only the sound of water trickling down the bamboo tubes greeted Omi. The garden courtyard was deserted, devoid of all life with the exception of herself. Not even the wind wished (or perhaps, _dared_) to blow. But as beautifully desolate as the place was, the Espeon still found it alluring peaceful. She always came there every time _they_ did not want her.

Frowning, she shook her head. Not they. Only he; _He_ was the only one that did not want her, annoyed not by her presence, but by the mere knowledge of her existence. Stubborn, frustrating, prideful, hateful, no-good boy. The lavender fur on the back of her neck bristled, though calmed and smoothed back out a few moments later. What could she do? Otomé loved him, cared for him, was unshakably loyal to him, only him. He made her happy (though how was beyond even Aruseus' guess), and that was the task Integra had charged her life-long friend with just moments before her death.

_'Omi! Take care of Otomé! See to it that she is safe, and happy!'_

Though in retrospect, Jet was both a curse as well as a blessing. He may hate her, the Eeveelution, with as much passion as he hated Nightmare or Shadowflare, but he was unwittingly making her task easier, fore the longer her charge spent with him, the more her charge came to depend on him (and less on her, Omi). Smiling humorlessly, for the umpteenth time did the Psychic-Type discovered that both she and the Dragon Trainer were slowly shifting the Articunomorph's attention from her mother's Espeon, and instead over unto himself.

Soon, he would take over fully, not just as Otomé's protector, but also as the only thing that stood between who she was, and what she could become.

"Well, well, well. You run away, but you always come back…"

Omi did not so much as flick an ear at the slightly accusing, slightly amused, feminine voice. Every time, it was always the same. Hatsuya never grew tired of rubbing the Espeon's nose in her own hypocrisy.

_"And here I was, assuming that this would cease to be anything new to you after the second time, Little Sister,"_ the feline replied with a polite curtness.

Smirking, Hatsuya chuckled in that irritating, arrogant way that never failed to rub the Espeon the wrong way. Only two words could describe her mistress's younger sister, who had become lady of the House of Tamashii after her mother's demise, and they were 'greedy' and 'bitchy'. Omi always temporarily forgot her dislike of such a vulgar term whenever Hatsuya was within earshot.

"The maids tell me that every now and then, you'll appear here, dear Memory, staring out at the garden for random amounts of time, before disappearing again without a word…" The ivory-haired woman trailed off, looking pointedly down at the crouched feline and obviously expecting an answer. But Omi remained silent, and so Hatsuya pressed on, adding the simple question of "Why's that?" to what she had said previously.

_"Because this place is my home as much as it is yours,"_ the Eeveelution replied, still in that politely curt tone that aggravated the Lady (though she took care to not show it). _"My mother was born here, my father was born here, their parents were born here, their parents' parents were born here… And it still rightfully belongs to Hanako-sama, even in death. Even Arisu was more fit to be Lady of the House than you'll ever be."_

Hatsuya growled in annoyance, barely resisting the flaming desire to punt the lavender cat into the garden before them, as though she were nothing more than one of those Kantoan 'footballs'. But that would not be behavior befitting of the Lady of the powerful and influential House of Tamashii (and it'd only prove the damn cat right), so the woman resisted and instead put on an icy smile that was so obviously forced it was painful.

"So I heard that dear Arisu—Alma _bless_ her soul," the younger sister sneered the prayer as though it were an insult. "—had a child… A…" There was a pause, of which Omi was most certain was fake. "… _Daughter_, I believe? She's… What? Six? Seven?"

_"Seventeen,"_ the Espeon corrected bluntly, as though it was something everyone in the world knew.

"Seventeen?!" Hatsuya's shock was clearly evident in her voice, but quickly, she cleared her throat and added in a suave tone, "I must've lost track of time… How silly of me." Omi rolled her violet eyes.

_"Oh yes. Very silly."_

The Lady narrowed her dark blue eyes as she glared down at the psychic cat. But in a poisonously sweet voice—a voice that oddly and suddenly reminded the Sun Pokémon of Shadowflare—she remarked, "But seventeen? Why… That's the right age for marriage… But I'm sure the poor girl's transcended being a filthy half-blood and is something even more dreadful… A fourth-blood perhaps?"

Inwardly, this angered Omi. That corruptive, little whore! How dare she speak of Otomé's genetics as though they were something to be ashamed of! How dare she reduce someone as lovely and flawless as Otomé to a sub-human status just because she was not fully-blooded!

Though outwardly, in a cool, slightly apathetic manner, the Espeon replied, _"No, actually. She is nearly a full-blood. Her father was a half-blood and got most of his Osakan blood, as opposed to his Kanto blood."_

"'Kanto blood'?" Hatsuya echoed in a slightly suspicious manner. "Who, exactly, is her father?"

The sun-worshipper was silent for a moment, before answering in a plain tone, "Akumi Yumé."

"YUMÉ!" The woman hissed savagely, her pretty face now contorted into an ugly snarl. "Figures! FIGURES dumb Arisu would chose HIM to bare a child to! Disgrace! Disgrace! That child is a disgrace! She will NOT claim Tamashii blood, or I'll kill her myself!"

Despite Hatsuya's outburst, Omi remained calm. _"You forget, Little Sister, that if no one knows of her Yumé blood, she is still a salvageable piece of Tamashii blood. She'd be the black Mareep of the House, but she is still salvageable…"_

The woman pondered these words for a few moments, before remarking to no one, "Boukyaku's sons nor Taiyou's sons will give her even a first glance… And if she is pretty enough, Eikou's sons or Ryuusei's sons might give her a _second_ glance… But surely Seiki's, Hiyaku's, and Shousha's sons will clamor over each other for her hand…"

Instantly realizing at the first House name that Hatsuya was composing a list of suitors for the Water Trainer, Omi snorted and allowed herself to rudely chuckle.

_"She already has a man and not even all of your Alma's power will sway her from him,"_ the cat proudly declared.

"Oh? And who? Not another _Yumé_, I hope…"

_"No, __not__ a Yumé. I have no idea what House he is from, or even if he IS from a House, but he seems very Osakan…"_

"'Seems very Osakan'? What do you mean by that?"

_"He looks the part,"_ Omi explained. _"Silver hair, dark blue eyes like yours, tanned skin…"_ The cat was well aware that Jet's tan was solely the result of his many lonely months in Orre, but Hatsuya didn't need to know that. _"I'd say he was a full-blood if I didn't know any better…"_


	4. Another Kind of Evil

Try as the girl might, her struggling was futile. The enormous Machamp had her arms pinned to her waist in a grip that made the Dragon Trainer's seem gentle, his second pair of arms restraining and outstretching her wings. With his hands idly behind his back, and a wicked smile curling his lips, Nightmare stood directly before his ensnared prey, the two now seeing eye-to-eye, thanks to the good twelve inches of space between the ground and Otomé's feet.

"Ahhh, finally," the ex-Executive cooed triumphantly, ignoring Jet's snarls and death threats to put a hand under the Water Trainer's chin and thus force her to meet his gaze. "No interference this time. No miracles or last minute escapes…"

But he was interrupted when she growled and suddenly lashed out with a violent kick. But in a single, fluid movement, the blonde moved aside, grabbed a hold of the seventeen-year-old's ankle, and introduced one of her cheeks to the back of his hand in a slap so savage it would surely leave a bruise.

"Defiance is what got Integra killed," he hissed venomously, letting go of her leg in favor of burying his hand in the feathers of one of her wings. "If you keep this up, it'll also make your death more painful than it already will _**be!**_" He emphasized his last word by simultaneously grabbing a handful of blue feathers and yanking them out, just as she herself had done on the Starshine Island's beach what felt like a lifetime ago. Though Otomé had bitten down on her tongue to resist crying out, her only show of pain being a glaringly obvious flinch.

Disappointed by his victim's lack of screaming, Nightmare frowned boredly, letting the feathers fall from his grasp as he pondered something for a moment. The girl knew something was wrong when the man suddenly took on a grin only the devil himself could wear. Again, he put a hand to one of her wings, running long fingers over the many feathers, from flight to down, almost in a caressing manner.

"Such pretty wings… It would be a shame if anything… _happened_… to them…" It was such an innocent statement, yet it filled the Water Trainer with so much terror and foreboding.

"No…" She choked out in a voice barely above a whisper. "No… You wouldn't…"

"Machamp… Break one of those pretty wings… The left one."

As soon as the order left the former Executive's lips, the Articunomorph renewed her struggling effort, practically thrashing now in hopes of wriggling free of the fighter's grasp and saving her doomed wing. But like previously, it was hopeless, and a well-placed, dead-centered Karate Chop instantly paralyzed her, the loud, sicken _'CRACK!_ that resulted in such a move resonating through the ears of everyone who heard it.

For a split second, all was quiet and serene, as though nothing were amiss. But the silence was shattered by Otomé's agonized, pain-soaked shriek. The force of the Karate Chop had not only snapped the main bone like a brittle twig, but it had also shattered it slightly and forced the now-jagged ends to pierce the fragile feathered skin, creating an injury that was anything but a simple fracture.

Cruelly, Nightmare chuckled.


	5. A Hypocritical Life

It had been a long time since he had been home. He knew the night he had ran out would be the night he'd never return and now, years later, Cain regretted every second of that ordeal. He regretted lashing out at his mother—oh his kind, loving, gentle-hearted mother—as she tried to break up the quarrel between her husband and her only son. He regretted lunging at his father, hatred burning in his cyan eyes, with the intent to kill the man for his bloody sins.

Cain regretted being so naive and narrow-minded.

And now he stood a short distance away from the modest, blue-painted two-story house, the home he had grown up in. How many years had it been since that night? Three? Four? In a sorrow tinged with guilt, the Articuno Fourthbreed figured that no matter the length of the lapse, it probably still felt like an eternity to his family. Or at least, to his mother.

The young man knew his father well, however. After all, the apple never fell far from the tree and all his life, Cain had been told that he was the spitting image of the silver-haired Dragon Trainer, only with his mother's brilliant, neon eyes. But whereas his mother was docile and sweet and eternally loving, the man who sired him was the exact opposite; bold, dark, twisted, possessive, jealous, strong, protective… Cain knew very well that his father would not lightly forgive his betrayal. If Jet hadn't forgiven his son by now, then he probably never would.

Slightly terrified by the prospect of his intimidating sire still hating him, the gray-haired teenager swallowed hard before summoning up all his courage to close the gap between himself and the front door of his childhood home. With each hesitant step he took, his doubts grew. Would they still love him? Would they even welcome him? Did his mother hate him too, for trying to murder her husband? Slowing, this thought thrust Cain's attention back into his dour memories.

* * *

_He had been seventeen. Two or so years had passed since that night, but even still he felt the immense contempt he held for his father in his chest. From across the small living room, the blonde Vulpix Fourthbreed frowned at the scorn on his friend's face._

_"You __**still**__ hold a grudge?" He half inquired, half stated, already knowing the answer though still asking for the sake of asking._

_"What do you think?" Cain threw back in a slightly bitter tone, catching the veiled disapproval in the man's voice._

_"I think you're a selfish, idiotic, dumbass," Seth countered coldly, matching the other male's glare without any sign of backing down. "You know I'm right," he added. "After two years, you still hold a grudge you have no right to hold."_

_Ferally baring his teeth, Cain growled, "I have every right to-!"_

_"Like fuck you do!" the blonde shot back before the younger man could finish. "You know very well that your parents would've told you about your genetics! And you know very well that they didn't because they didn't think you were ready to handle the knowledge of how much of a genetic MUTT you are!"_

_It took a lot of the gray-haired teen's will to not flinch at the insult. Though it still stung. He __**was**__ a mutt; human, Articuno, Mew, demon, and trace amounts of a handful of other Pokémon thanks to his mother. Hiding his hurt behind his pride, Cain yelled back, "And what about my father? You know what he was! What he did!"_

_The two men were standing now, glaring and growling at one another. Seth's earthy brown ears were laid flat against his spiked hair, the fur on his three rustic orange tails standing on end, while Cain's small, dusty blue wings ruffled angrily._

_"What a hypocrite you are, expecting those around you to be perfect!" The blonde always hated how his friend thought so lowly of his father. "He's a normal person just like the rest of us! He's made mistakes!"_

_"KILLING INNOCENT PEOPLE ISN'T A MISTAKE!"_

_"NO, BUT IT WAS A WAY OF LIFE WHEN HE DIDN'T KNOW ANY BETTER!" Being five years older and nearly a foot taller, Seth easily overpowered his counterpart._

_"You know something, Cain?" He hissed, balling his hands into fists. "My mother's a murderer. In fact, she's the DAMN BOSS of __**TEAM ROCKET**__. Her whole LIFE has been filled with nothing but committing crimes. She killed her father—my grandfather—out of revenge, she killed Giovanni, she killed his other Executives... All simply so she could rise to power without a challenge._

_"And for all my life, she's been Boss. She has no problem with hurting others and wrecking families and ruining lives, all for the sake of power and profit. She was born a Rocket and she'll die a Rocket. Even when she became a mother, she did not stop in her vile ways."_

_Cain was silent. He had never been sure of his friend's parentage. The man really only spoke of the father he hardly knew (fore the man had left his mother after discovering she was pregnant), but his mother... The teenager had never imagined the woman was so infamous and cruel, but the blonde's lofty lifestyle and seeming immunity from the violence of Team Rocket now made sense._

_"But you know something else?" Seth continued, still in that angered, insulted tone of voice. "I still love her. She is my mother—the only one I'll ever have—and she went through hell to not only raise me, but to raise me right and protect me from the hatred ones like us get. And your parents... Oh, they went through MUCH worse!"_

_This had the Articuno Fourthbreed intrigued slightly. What did the older man know about his parents that he didn't?_

"_What do you mean by that?" Cain asked warily. Knowing that he had gotten the boy's attention, the Vulpix Fourthbreed smirked bitterly._

"_Your parents, when they were younger, went through hell and back just to stay together. Everyone always told your mother that she deserved so much better, and that your father would be the death of her, and that she should just leave him. They had countless enemies trying to kill them, some with a reason no greater than because they simply existed. But they persevered and they loved each other with all their hearts, 'cause back then, one was all the other had and without one, the other refused to carry on living._

_You and your sisters were conceived out of love, as well. Never lust. It was never lust for your parents, my mother once said. And once all three of you were born, your parents worked as hard as they could to give you the childhoods and lives they never had. After all, you know very well that your father was orphaned at a young age and that your mother had no childhood at all. And because of those things, though they are wise in the ways of life, academically, your parents aren't much smarter than middle schoolers; neither of them ever had formal education… Your father learned only what he had to in order to survive and your mother learned mostly housework rather than anything academic…"_

_The boy had heard enough. Locking his jaw and gritting his teeth, he turned his head away from Seth in a sign of defeat. Some of those things he had known, but everything else… He had been clueless about. How shameful it was to have someone not even related at all know more about your parents than you yourself, their one and only son!  
_

* * *

All too soon, it seemed, Cain was suddenly pulled from his reminiscing, now finding himself standing before the white front door of the two-story home. His doubts and fears were at their pinnacle now, but he knew he couldn't turn back. He had to, he had to, he had to… Gingerly, he raised a loose fist and knocked on the door. 

There was a long pause and it took much of the young man's will power to stay in place rather than turn and run away as fast as he could. But with a mix of relief and nervous fear, he heard the lock unbolt and saw the door pull open to reveal a slightly bored-looking redhead with blue streaks in her hair. For a split second, she retained this look, but as the realization of who stood before her dawned in her mind, she took on a look of shock.

"Ah… Hi Auntie Miho," the eighteen-year-old greeted shyly, averting his eyes downwards out of a guilty shame. For a few moments that seemed like more years, the woman was silent, simply staring at the now grown son of her mistress. But then she donned a grin that lacked any humor.

"It's been a long time, Cain," Miho replied softly as she stepped aside to allow the young man to pass by. Once he was inside, she closed the door silently and turned to call in a resonating voice, "Otomé! You have a guest!"

There was a murmur of voices from the kitchen that was hidden from the front door's landing, one voice silvery and light, the other masculine and carrying authority. He knew them; they were familiar to the Articuno Fourthbreed, whose stomach was suddenly filled with ice. He couldn't do this. They hated him, he knew it. But he couldn't turn back; there wasn't any place to run.

Swallowing hard again, the teenager suddenly forgot how to breathe when he saw _them_ appear from around a corner, both heading towards the door before instantly stopping dead in their tracks when they caught sight of him.

His mother still looked the same; a gentle beauty with a delicate face and pale skin, her long hair—the color of the sky on a clear summer's day—still pulled back into a loose Ponyta tail. And close behind her, his father… Still with that striking, silver hair (which was still spiked, but a tad longer than it was in the days of his youth) and those piercing, blue eyes that were as deep as an ocean…

The father and son stared at one another for what felt like an eternity. But the longer it dragged on, the greater Cain's dread grew; His father was glaring at him, nothing but loathing and hostility in those dark eyes of his. No, even after all these years, Jet still had not forgiven his son for that night. And without a word, the Dragon Trainer turned away and disappeared back to where he had previously been, abandoning his first born child, who wore a look of hurt and guilty dismay.

* * *

**A/N:** o hay guize. Sorry for the long delay. In July, I played hostess to my ex-boyfriend for two weeks (he's from England and was staying over for a bit) and now for August, my senior year of high school's about to start. Oh noes. 

Plus, I'm at a part in TDD where all Otomé and Jet do is talk, talk, talk, but I can't cut the talking out because it eventually leads to something important. So I'm still trying to figure out how to condense their blabbing so y'all don't get bored.

Forgive me. D:

Also, if you're curious as to how Cain looks, check the post in my LJ I made about it:  
http://tsukiyashi (dot) livejournal (dot) com/132374.html#cutid1


	6. Lost and Found

What was she to do now? Once Shadowflare had wished back Jet's demonic DNA, he had proceeded to shatter the Wish Stone into a thousand splintered pieces, destroying along with it anyone's hopes for thwarting the black Raichu's carefully laid plans for the Dragon Trainer. Though Otomé's endless love fueled her fevorant determination so in the end, she found a different way to compel Jirachi to grant her one last wish.

But with the necklace in pieces and lost to the battlefield that struggle had been upon, the Water Trainer now had nothing left with which to adorn her slender neck. And it had been a lifetime since she lost track of the velveteen necklace she had worn in the early days of her Trainership. Many times had the young woman rued such carelessness, fore that necklace had also been a gift from her late mother; the only thing she had left of the woman.

"Otomé...? Is... Something the matter?" Jet inquired suddenly, bringing his blue-haired companion from her mental lamenting. Looking over to him, she blinked once in slight confusion before putting on a smile and shaking her head.

"Nah. I'm fine. I was just thinking." 

But the young man knew better; She was _always_ fine. But that didn't necessarily mean it was the truth.

"You're a really bad liar, you know that?" He pointed out bluntly for the umpteenth time, fixing Otomé with a stern gaze. Being the [incredibly submissive one of the pair, she lowered her eyes in a humble shame. He always caught her. Such a blessed curse it was to love a man so gifted in the art of honesty (or lack thereof)!

"Well... It's really just me being petty..." Slowly she began before trailing off, as though stalling in hopes that a distraction would appear to steer them away from the topic of her desire for a new necklace.

"Spit it out, Otomé..."

The girl knew her companion meant business when he bothered to say her name slowly, sounding out each syllable with serious care, as opposed to calling her by her shortened nickname.

"Well," The Water Trainer was overcome with a sudden fascination for the wooden floor beneath her feet. "Now with the Wish Stone gone... And I have no idea what happened to the necklace that had my mother's water drop charm on it... I have no necklaces to wear..." When she was met with nothing but silence, she hastily added, "See! I told you it was just me being petty!"

Exhaling sharply and softly through his nose, Jet shook his head. "No, no... That was your mother's necklace?"

It took the girl a moment to comprehend what her boyfriend was speaking of, but once she had, she nodded. "Kinda... The charm was hers. She gave it to me not too long before her death... She helped me turn it into a necklace, 'cause I'm always losing bracelets and rings and earrings..."

In the back of his mind, the Dragon Trainer knew that that last bit of information should definitely be stored for a later date (how awful would it be to buy his love something as beautiful as she, only to have her lose it!). But the necklace she spoke of rung a bell within his mind as well. It was so long ago, but...

"Hold on," he replied with one hand held up to silence the Blackthorn native as he reached his other hand into one of the pockets of his pants. It took him a few moments to locate the object before he finally pulled whatever it was out to show to her. It was a long strip of dark blue velvet, with a blue gem fashioned into the shape of a droplet hanging from the middle. It appeared to have been cut, as though the two fasteners were still together, the necklace still had two separate ends.

"This, right?"

Otomé was thunderstruck, her cyan eyes wide with shocked amazement. But the spell was broken a few seconds later, marked by the maiden's hurried grab of the priceless jewelry. "Where did you find it?! I thought I had lost it!"

Now it was Jet's turn to be sheepish and shamed. "You... I mean, I... It... On One Island... It got... Cut off... When..."

Otomé was well aware of how deep of a wound his actions on One Island had dealt the silver-haired teenager, so to spare him from being haunted by such memories (as to retell was to relive), she surprised him with a grateful, loving hug, her slender arms twined around his midriff as she laid her cheek against his collarbone.

"As long as you kept it safe! Did you have it this whole time?"

"Y-Yeah... I kept it to... To remind me..."

"Aawwww! I feel so loved!"


	7. Lotus Blossom

Madness! That what this was! Crazed madness! But how was he ever to escape? The silver-haired teenager was relentless in his charges and slashes, and the Water Trainer sat there on the side as though nothing were amiss; as though that filthy murder was not trying to claim the Emerald Champion's life in a method in quench his thirst for vengeance!

"Otomé!" Wallace called out to her desperately, barely dodging Jet's sword as it sliced through the air where the man had been a second before. "Otomé, please! Have mercy! Call off your Houndoom!"

Viciously, the younger man snarled and lashed out at his elder once more, his blade finding purchase this time as it left a slightly deep gash on the Champion's chest.

"Don't speak to her!" He barked as he moved to strike again. "You've got no right to after what you did to her!" Morbidly, satisfaction flooded the Dragon Trainer's mind as again he wounded Wallace, this time diagonally down his torso.

Calmly, Otomé sat on the sideline of the raised arena, deaf to the Emerald Champion's pleads for help as she watched the scene before her with little concern. It was like a Persian playing cruelly with a Rattata before it ate the poor thing...

But what did she care? Who was she to speak of mercy? She, who murdered out of pure, cold-blooded rage? She, whom the world enjoys scorning time after time again? She, whose broken wings where the physical manifestation of her broken spirit?

"Otomé! _Please!_"

Yes... Who was she to care? Obviously, the world did not want her. Where ever she went now, all she got were looks of hatred, disgust, of fear. To other people, she was a filthy halfbreed no better than the garbage they threw out nightly, no matter how sweet or understanding or forgiving she tried to be. She was tired of being abused and used by everyone but other misfits such as she.

So no longer would the Water Trainer care. The whole world could perish in the fires of hell and she would not bat an eye! Not so long as Jet, their Pokémon, and the rest of their sparse allies were alright and safe. No one but they cared, and so now she would not care for anyone but them.

"Jet, stop it," Otomé suddenly commanded in a soft yet firm voice as she rose to her feet. Having been about to deliver the killing blow, the Dragon Trainer, with his blood-stained sword raised above his head, was not too please about apparently being called off. With a sigh of relief, Wallace looked over to the blue-haired maiden.

"Stop toying with him and just kill him already. Don't lower yourself to his level."

Instantly, the Emerald Champion's gratitude vanished and horror filled its void. No... No, she wouldn't... She didn't! Oh, by Arceus' divine name, no!

"Otomé! Please! I beg of you!! Have mercy!"

"Who I am to speak of mercy?!" The seventeen-year-old spat back venomously. "I've had enough of this world that shuns me for not being fully human! So as a lotus flower is born in water, grows in water, and rises out of the water to stand above it, unsoiled, so too will I, born in the world, raised in the world, having overcome the world, will live unsoiled by the world."

While the elder Water Trainer was frozen with terror at the unchallengeable sealing of his fate, Jet was grinning widely and with a sadistic laugh, brought his sword down upon the distracted man with a powerful slash, painting the pristine ivory floor heavily with crimson.

For a few moments that stretched on like a lifetime, the two of them stood in their places, both pairs of eyes set apathetically on the body of the Champion as Jet still continued to grip the blood-speckled hilt of his sword tightly. Then with a soft sigh, the Blackthorn native closed the gap between her and her love, gingerly stepping over Wallace's body and the pools of his blood as she did so.

"Now what are we to do?" She asked softly of no one in particular as she reached a petite hand up to the Dragon Trainer's face and wiped away a few large specks of blood on his cheek, effectively staining her own fingers with his crime.

"I suppose we go on with our lives," the silver-haired teenager answered, grabbing his girlfriend's hand and giving it a slight, encouraging squeeze before letting it go.

Numbly, the maiden nodded before a small, remorseful smile tugged at her lips. "But so long as I have you, everything will be fine. I'll not care about anything in the world except for you and our Pokémon."


	8. The Last Innocence

The morning was subtle and gentle in coming, unfolding slowly like a lotus blossom. The Pidgeys and Taillows had recently begun to sing as both the sun and Otomé stirred from their slumbers. The latter was loathe to open her eyes, instead wishing to remain curled up peacefully under the comfortable blankets of the bed. She felt so content; for a moment, she couldn't understand why. But as the girl stretched out and brushed up against someone else, she remembered and finally opened her bright eyes.

He had always looked remarkably adorable when he slept. Almost as innocent as a child. She couldn't help but smile fondly at the Dragon Trainer's sight as he slept so soundly beside her, an arm lazily draped across her waist almost in an unconsciously possessive way. He was laid out on his stomach, his head turned towards his love, her wing, though folded, still separating them.

Gingerly, as not to disturb the silver-haired young man, Otomé managed to sit up, gathering part of the covers around her to preserve her modesty, futile as it was. They were in _his_ room--the room they figured Omi was the least likely to randomly show up in. But as her mind jumped from the Espeon to the reason _why_ the couple had been so adamant about avoiding her, the Water Trainer began to blush and pressed her hands against her cheeks in a girlish fashion.

She could no longer call herself a maiden, could she? Was this how it felt, a loss of the last innocence? She felt no differently than she had the previous night! But it didn't much matter. The Articunomorph was more surprised with her companion. She hadn't any idea that he could've been so affectionate and passionate! And gentle as well. Quietly, she chuckled to herself through her blush as she recalled their virginal mishaps due to Jet's worry of being too rough.

He would sleep for awhile longer, though. With love, Otomé looked back down to her boyfriend. He never awoke so early; she wouldn't doubt it if he didn't stir until almost afternoon! So with a soft sigh, she sank back down to the bed and shifted onto her side in an attempt to get closer into the halfling's embrace.

But before the young woman could settle back into a light doze, she heard a low chuckle from the opposite side of the room and instantly felt ice in her stomach.

"Finally awake, are you?" Omi remarked cheerfully from her perch atop an empty dresser. "I was wondering why you weren't in _your_ room..."

"Omi!" Otomé bolted upright, her hands clutching the white cover over top her to her chest, as though it alone could completely hide the fact that she wasn't wearing a thing at all.

"Otomé, what the hell...?" Having been disturbed by his girlfriend's shocked shout and sudden movement, the Mossdeep native began to stir, muttering darkly to himself about early mornings until the Espeon spoke again.

"Oh, so I see he awakes as well... What a surprise..."

Dark eyes wide, the boy instantly flipped over and was sitting up along side his companion, fighting hard with himself to not blush. "What the hell are YOU doing here, gnat?!" He hissed, trying to downplay having been caught in bed with his love.

But Omi simply chuckled again, not threatened as usual. "I found Otomé's room quite empty earlier. So I came in here to brave your sass and ask if you knew where she was. But lo' and behold! I end up finding you two snuggled up together with the clothes you guys had been wearing last night scattered around the floor by the bed..."

At this recount, the couple blushed as one, undoubtedly recalling just what they had done the previous night. This caused the Sun Pokémon to laugh for a third time, which in turn agitated Jet further.

"Get lost, furball!"

"I dunno... Is it really wise to leave you two alone again?"

Snarling, the silver-haired teen grabbed a pillow from behind him and hurled it at the feline in a single, fluid movement. But like always, she teleported out of harm's way at the last second, though luckily didn't reappear. Once the couple had concluded that the Espeon would not return, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

"That damned cat!" The halfling fumed, balling his hands into fists. "I'll wring her neck next time I see her! She's probably blabbing about this to those demon Pokémon of yours!"

"Awww, don't worry about it," the Articunomorph cooed, still blushing though daring to lean over and wrap her arms around his midriff. "Omi's just playing and I'm sure _all_ of _our_ Pokémon would've found out eventually one way or another..."

"But still!" It was hard to maintain his anger with her being so sweet and calming. Her warm embrace and soothing, silvery voice made him made to return to sleep.

Noticing that her love had let his mind wander, the Water Trainer used the opportunity to pull him back down to the bed and press her lithe body closer to his, resting her head against the crook of his neck.

"'Still' nothing," she countered with girlish determination. "You'll probably sleep until the afternoon now and then forget wanting to murder her."

"Ha! I've _always_ wanted to murder than damned cat," Jet countered, giving into Otomé and twining an arm around her own slender torso. He tried not to blush at their extreme contact, nor acknowledge within his mind his enjoyment of feeling her soft skin against his, but failed miserably at both tasks.

"And you're always just talk, too..."

"What?! Am not!"

"Yes you are. You fail so horribly at your attempts to kill her that they can't even been counted as being serious..."

"Hey! It's not my fault-" The young man gave up the argument abruptly when he heard his companion's giggle and realized she was simply toying with him. "Yeah, well... At least people don't mistake _me_ for being a child because I'm so short..."

"I am not short!"

Otomé always looked cute when she pouted.


	9. Love, the Forever Kind

He was nervous. Such a silly thing for him to be nervous about! But he always had a habit of fucking up almost anything, especially in regards to special moments. So as he waited, Jet fevorantly, desperately prayed to the PokéGods to let things go smoothly. Let them punish him a million times fold for his cold-blooded sins! But if they had any ounce of mercy, they would ensure that the day went smoothly. If not for his anxious sake, then for hers.

Though, it didn't help the Dragon Trainer's mood to be surrounded by the three people he hated the most: Luna, Seiyaku, and Alexa-sama. But if he wished to legally take Otomé as his wife, then their wretched presences were required. Law mandated an ordained minister (or Justice of the Peace) and two witnesses not related to the bride and groom in order for the marriage to be official.

His wait before Luna felt like an eternity, though. What was taking so long? What was that girl doing? Trying to be fashionably late?! Or perhaps that whore of a Champion behind him had scared her off? He couldn't blame the Articunomorph, if that was the case... But when a familiar, airy giggle reached his ears, the criminal felt all doubt and impatience and anxiety and any other negative emotion dissolve into nothing.

Jet had always thought that Otomé was beautiful, with her soft, pale skin, and her bright, radiant eyes, and her long, sky-colored hair. Not to mention her petite and slender (and short) body... She was so gentle and kind and sweet and it always amazed him how someone like her would ever want to love--much less spend the rest of her life with--someone like him.

But now, as she strolled towards him in a simple white sun dress, a single azure flower with pointed petals clutched delicately in her hands and a translucent veil pinned in her hair, obscuring all of her pretty face but her bright eyes, he was genuinely taken aback. Maybe it was just the significance of the day, of this event, that did the trick, but the man was certain that the Water Trainer looked more gorgeous as a bride than he had ever seen her.

Suddenly, time had gone from slow-motion to fast-foward and before he could realize, Otomé was beside him, smiling broadly from beneath her humbling veil. When she rested a ginger hand on his shoulder, the silver-haired halfling became aware that he had hardly been breathing. Nerves? Her beauty? He hardly knew, and hardly cared. All he could focus his mind on was that soon, she would cease to be a Yumé, a dream, kin to that blonde son of a bitch who broke her wings, and instead, from then on, she would be a [SURNAAAMMEEE; she would be his.

"Oh good. We're all here now finally?" Luna said in such an annoyingly cheerful way that if the Mossdeep native had not been so smitten with his bride, he would've smacked the elder brunette. Hell, he would've done so regardless! He was not blind to the way the shameless harlot was eying Otomé much in the same way he himself had.

With a nod to Alexa-sama and Seiyaku, who stood behind the couple, the Crimson Champion continued. "Well, I do believe we can skip that whole 'dearly beloved' speech. Otomé, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have, hold, and obey, for richer or poor, in sickness and in health, come whatever may, until Kazé drags one of you kicking and screaming bloody murder into the afterlife?"

**A/N:** Yeah, no one knows what Jet's surname is. Even after five years, I still don't. I don't think his player knows, either… Whenever we figure it out, I'll correct this. xD


End file.
